


Rest and Recover

by Nerdstablook13



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), tangled - Fandom
Genre: Fluff, Other, Sickfic, Varian needs sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-08
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:14:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25784962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nerdstablook13/pseuds/Nerdstablook13
Summary: Varian has been working hard trying to decipher the moon stone incantations but it’s taking longer than he thought and he starts to wear himself out. Good thing Quirin’s there to make sure he gets some rest once in a while
Relationships: father/son - Relationship
Comments: 5
Kudos: 62





	Rest and Recover

**Author's Note:**

> I’m still absolutely in love with tangled the series but I wish we got more father/son time with Varian and his dad so I thought I’d make it myself. This takes place some time before Be Very Afraid and as always happy reading!

Quirin was expecting to hear the usual clamor when he got home but instead was greeted with silence. Varian was usually hard at work on some new invention or idea when his father got home from work, but today there was nothing. He knew Varian had been working on deciphering the sundrop and moonstone scroll for the past few days but usually there was still some noise. Sometimes he’d hear soft mutters when he passed by the workshop, while other times Varian would be humming or singing either to himself or to Ruddiger. In any case, it was unlike him to be so quiet. Pretty soon Quirin knew what was wrong when he walked into the kitchen. Varian was sitting at the table looking rather pale with a few papers surrounding him. He held a quill in one hand and a paper in the other. Quirin caught a glance of Varian squinting at the paper before sighing, placing both items down and rubbing his eyes. He didn’t seem to take notice of his father until the floor creaked under Quirin’s feet and Varian’s looked up to his father.

“Oh dad, you’re back.” He said in a low voice. Now that the two were closer, Quirin wondered how long his son had looked this feverish and tired.

“Varian, are you alright? I thought you would have been in the workshop.” Quirin said coming closer to his son. Varian rubbed his eyes again as he spoke.

“My throat was just kinda sore...I came in here to make some tea.” Varian pointed behind him and sure enough a kettle was beginning to boil on the stove. He coughed harshly in that moment, proving he wasn’t lying about the sore throat. He was left shivering and lightheaded but picked up his quill all the same. Quirin made his way to the side of his son and looked to his work. 

“Still working on that scroll?” He asked. 

“Yeah, but I can barely understand any of this. It’s...harder than I thought it’d be.” Quirin expected Varian to go into greater detail like normal but instead he remained silent. 

“How long have you been working on this?” Varian shrugged. 

“A few days I guess...” He coughed again, trying hard to swallow his pained whimpers and keep on writing. Quirin gently reached out and felt his son’s forehead. Varian leaned into the touch with a sigh of relief before he could stop himself and pull away a little.

“You’re awfully warm, son,” Quirin said comfortingly. Varian didn’t look up at his father.

“It’s just a little fever...nothing serious...” Quirin gently put an arm around his son and pulled him close. He watched as Varian immediately seemed to dissolve into the warmth of the hug. His shoulders relaxed as he let the quill fall to the table. Varian shivered and closed his eyes, realizing just how in need of sleep he was. 

“Why don’t you take a break. Rest a moment.” Varian shook his head slightly.

“I...I can’t. I don’t have time to-“ he started with a hoarse voice. He cleared his throat and leaned more into his father. “I don’t have time to rest...” he finished quietly. He kept leaning into his father’s hug for another minute before he reluctantly pulled himself away and picked up the scroll again squinting at the strange words. It was the first real look Quirin had of the scroll. It seemed like an eternity ago when he first saw it. He wished he knew the incantations written on it but he was as lost as his son. The moonstone was a powerful force and it was dangerous to fully understand its ability. Quirin was broken out of his trance when Varian groaned and rubbed his temples. “None of this makes any sense...my head feels like it’s gonna explode...” Quirin rubbed his back softly. 

“Why don’t I finish making that tea of yours while you rest for a bit?”

“But dad I have to-“

“The only thing you have to do is take a break. You’ve been working on this all day. You can afford to relax for a few minutes.” Varian sighed and nodded. He knew there was no point in arguing. He slowly got up from the table and sluggishly made his way to the couch. Quirin watched his son fall on to the couch and curl up with his eyes closed. Quirin instinctively draped his vest over his son like a blanket and watched him pull the warm fur closer. Quirin then made his way back to the kitchen where the water was almost boiling at this point. He fixed a cup of tea with honey for his son and went back to the couch. Varian opened his eyes when his father sat next to him and slowly managed to sit up and take the mug.

“Thanks dad...” He said in a raspy voice before taking a sip. Quirin watched his son as he continued to take small sips of his tea. He looked exhausted and unfocused. Quirin rubbed his back gently and Varian relaxed at the touch. 

“You should get some sleep Varian, you’re not well.” Varian shook his head. 

“But dad-“ 

“You won’t get anything done like this,”

“I know but-“

“Why is this scroll so important all of a sudden? You’ve been trying to decipher it for days and I haven’t seen you take a break once.” Varian leaned against his father feeling too tired to try and fight back. 

“I can’t let Rapunzel down again...” He said after a moment. Quirin paused. That’s right. The stories Varian told him about while he was in the amber. Everything his son did. Everything he regretted. How pained he was talking about betraying the princess. It was still hard to believe it was all true. “I know I’m close...I can’t stop...” Quirin hugged his son who remained quiet in his dad’s hold. 

“Varian you’re not letting anyone down, the princess wouldn’t want you working yourself so hard. You need to let yourself rest and recover.” Varian buried his head in his father’s chest.

“...I didn’t get much sleep last night...or yesterday night...or the night before that...” Varian said before he sipped a little more of his tea trying to sooth his throat. “Guess I haven’t really slept well the past few nights...” 

“Well then, all the more reason you should get to bed,” Quirin felt his son’s forehead again. He felt warm, but not boiling yet. He seemed more tired than feverish and that’s how Quirin wanted to keep it. “I’m sure we have something around here to help with that fever.” Varian nodded softly again but didn’t move. He only stared down at his tea.

“Dad...do you think There’s still a chance we can save Cass? The way Rapunzel talks about her, it’s like she’s not even the same person...I’m worried about her...” Quirin took the mug from his son to let him curl up more. 

“The moonstone is a powerful force Varian. I’ve seen the bravest of men go mad trying to control its power.” Varian seemed to tense at that. “But, she’s a strong, smart girl. You said the princess still believes there’s good in her, and I believe it too.” Quirin ran his fingers through his son’s messy hair. “You just have to get through to her somehow.” Varian relaxed a little and yawned.

“If-if I could just talk to her...maybe I could help her. Show her I know how it feels...” He felt dizzy and fatigued and wanted to lie down again. He unintentionally kept slumping farther and farther down until he was lying with his head on his dad’s lap. “And know how much it hurts in the end...” Quirin draped his vest back over him and shushed him quietly. 

“Soon Varian, that day will be soon.” Varian yawned again and pulled his legs close to his chest. “Just not today.” After that Quirin hummed softly and stroked his son’s hair as he thought more about the moonstone. He turned his attention back to his son when he squirmed slightly before relaxing again. “I think it’s time to get to bed Varian.” He said patting his son’s shoulder lightly. Varian didn’t respond. “Varian?” He asked quietly looking to his son. Sure enough Varian was already asleep, still looking all too tired but his shivers were lessening. Quirin didn’t have the heart to wake him. “Well, I suppose a few more minutes couldn’t hurt.” He said adjusting the vest to more fully cover Varian and continued to stroke his hair. As long as Varian was sleeping, he’d stay as long as he could


End file.
